WATKINS GLEN – Before earning his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup win Sunday to virtually guarantee himself a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, AJ Allmendinger said he was not confident of his chances to contend for a title even if he made the 10-race playoff.

He was a bit more optimistic after winning the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen, with the enthusiasm of team co-owner Brad Daugherty perhaps rubbing off.

"I think that we have more in us," said Daugherty, a former NBA all-star who owns Allmendinger's Scott Products Chevrolet along with the husband and wife team of Tad and Jodi Geschickter. "We go to places like Atlanta, we go to places like Martinsville, Bristol, those racetracks. I think we've got a chance. If the dominoes fall correctly, we've got a chance. We've got to put all of our eggs in one basket. We just don't want to be there as a back marker, we want to make some noise."

When told of Daugherty's comments, Allmendinger responded, "I mean, we've got a shot. I'm not going to disagree with him. Thanks, Brad. … I want to go in there and make some noise."

Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose were among top road course drivers who came to Watkins Glen thinking it would be their best shot at qualifying for the 16-driver Chase field. Under the new points system, drivers who win one of the first 26 races are likely to make the Chase field.

There are four races to go before the field is set and 12 drivers have victories. The odds of any of them missing the race are extremely long, and it would take Matt Kenseth to move from third to first in points while remaining winless to knock out the race winner who is lowest in points.

Allmendinger said a chance at winning a title is only one part of making the Chase. Equally big for JTD Daugherty Racing is the exposure the Chase berth will bring. But, yes, there's also that shot to take a small Cinderella team to a championship.

"The way the format is laid out, you don't have to be amazing for 10 races, you just have to be good enough each three sets of races," Allmendinger said. "The next thing you know you get to Homestead, anything can happen. So, Brad, I agree."

Ambrose's designs on earning that Chase spot Allmendinger took came up short. His runner-up finish did move him to 16th in points, and he still has a shot to make the field on points depending how many drivers break into the win column during the next four races.

"I haven't thought about points. I'll have to look at that on Monday," Ambrose said. "We're decent in championship position."